Orlando's

   I had a wonderful experience at Orlando's last night.  It was my daughter's high school graduation night and we wanted a simple dinner.  We were meeting another family who had the same idea.  We were both throwing a big grad party later in the summer so we didn't want to go crazy this night.  Many of our favorite places were closed on Mondays or wouldn't take reservations because it was graduation night in the district.  So we found Orlando's.  We've been there before for pizza but never had dinner.  We were so pleasantly surprised.  The kids were hungry and didn't want to wait, so we ordered them a cheese pizza to start.  It came almost immediately and they devoured it.  The bread was fresh and flowing.  We ordered appetizers of muscles in white and red sauce, and calamari.  Both were amazing, especially the muscles.  NO SAND!  And what delicious sauce...yes sauce...gravy is for turkeys!  We all ordered a variety of entrees and one was better than the other!  The pasta was fresh, the vegetables were tasty, the sauce was incredible, and the shrimp, scungilli, calamari, and any other fish tasted right from the sea.  We were all raving about our meals when we left.  Most of us had take home bags because there was so much food, the dishes themselves were tremendous.  The staff was overly friendly even though they were crowded that night.  We even had the manager sit with us for awhile to congratulate the girls.  We will certainly be going back soon.  I can't wait to eat my leftovers for dinner!
Orlando's is in Colts Neck on Route 34, near the Colts Neck Pharmacy and Huddy's.

Koo

Koo of Marlboro is one of my favorite restaurants.  I was there this Saturday after a long day of soccer.  We started off with the sweet potato rolls, tuna harame, and chicken lettuce wraps.  Of course, all was delicious.  The next course brought Sesame chicken and shrimp pad thai.  Always awesome.  If you are looking for fancy, this is not the place to go.  It's a bring your own where I recommend champagne with your sushi.  The atmosphere is simple, but the food has never let me down.  The wait staff is always pleasant and accommodating.  Please visit this wonderful asian fusion delight.

Del Frisco's

I've been to Del Frisco's Steakhouse so many times.  It is a restaurant that I would reccommend over and over.  It is in Manhattan and if you need a sure thing, it is the place to go.  Most everyone I've sent there has had rave reviews.  There have only been two people who complained about the noise and the pepper on the steak.  You must ask for the pre theater special.  You get an amazing salad, a choice of entree, and a dessert.  You can't go wrong here if you plan to go to the theater.

Cafe Calore...Freehold,NJ

I've been to Cafe Calore in the past and have never had a bad experience.  Tonight was a little different...first of all my husband and I had a groupon, which I have become addicted to.  We brought our own chiante...thank goodness because it was the best part of the meal.  We ordered the "special" appetizer for two.  It included baked clams oreganato, fresh mozerella with bermuda onions and roasted peppers, stuffed mushrooms, calamari, and Italian sausage.  I must say the portion was huge and I was excited to try it all.  I went for the mushrooms first and they were good.  My husband went for the clams and before I could try it, he spit it out.  It was mushy and seemed to be raw.  Needless to say, I didn't attempt a try.  The sausage was okay, yet the calamari really had no taste.  The sauce was a bit strong, very tomato paste heavy.  The best part of the platter was the mozerella.  We left a lot on the plate.  That is unusual for us!  I have to say, I was a bit concerned when the waitress didn't even bother to ask us how the meal was.  Our entrees came next and I was looking forward to it.  I love risotto and I ordered the special Shrimp, artichoke, limoncello risotto.  Unfortunately, it tasted like a lemon cake, very sweet.  The shrimp was overcooked, too.  My husband had the gnocchi special with a light wine tomato sauce with artichokes and asparagus.  The tomato paste taste was very overpowering.  We are not the type of people who complain and we were going to let it go.  We gave the waitress our groupon and were ready to pay when the owner came over to talk to us.  She was a lovely woman and we spoke about many things until she noticed that we gave the restaurant a 5 out of 10 on the groupon receipt.  She asked why and we told her everything.  I thought she should know, only to help improve her business.  She did appreciate our honesty and disgression.  The management did compensate for our experience and she was very professional.  We will be going back to give it another try.  Maybe we hit Cafe Calore on a bad night...I hope so because I want my area restaurants to succeed.  I'll let you know what happens the next time.